The Gulf Dead Zone is Growing Larger Than Anticipated [View all]

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http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/8398/20140805/gulf-dead-zone-growing-larger-anticipated.htm
Nature World News
The Gulf Dead Zone is Growing Larger Than Anticipated
By Brian Stallard
August 5, 2014

Researchers who annually measure the oxygen deprived "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico have recently found that this year it is nearly as large as the state of Connecticut. That's three times larger than an anticipated 2015 target size.

The Gulf Dead Zone is a huge swath of the Gulf of Mexico just west of the Mississippi River Delta that is nearly devoid of oxygen and proportionally saturated with nitrogen and phosphorus pollution.

Containing barely any oxygen, these regions become absent of "commercial quantities" of shrimp and fish, according to the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMC). A LUMC assessment of the Dead Zone this year showed that it has grown to an average 5,500 square miles over the last five years. And while this growth falls into recent models based on current nitrogen measurements, it is still three times larger than the environmental target set by a federal task force in 2001, dedicated to keeping the zone controlled...

..."Currently we are seeing the impacts of nitrogen and phosphorous pollution, not only off the Louisiana coast, but throughout the country," he added. "From undrinkable water in Toledo to a 4,000 square mile toxic Red Tide looming off the coast of Florida, it is obvious that current efforts to reduce harmful nitrogen and phosphorous pollution are not adequate.".... MORE at link posted above.